NCAA Bubble Watch: Pittsburgh tops Syracuse in win-and-in matchup

The second round of the ACC Tournament produced a matchup between old Big East rivals in Pittsburgh and Syracuse on Wednesday that many believed would be an NCAA Tournament eliminator.

They certainly played like their postseason fates were on the line.

Cameron Johnson scored a career-high 24 points off the bench as the Panthers built a 14-point lead, only to watch it evaporate down the stretch. But a series of critical plays by James Robinson down the stretch were enough to allow coach Jamie Dixon's team to escape with a 72-71 victory.

"We still got work to do," said Robinson, who made a steal with the game tied 68-all, then scored the final four points as the Panthers (21-10) made Selection Sunday just a bit more bearable.

Meanwhile, the Orange (19-13) have already begun their campaign for an at-large bid. "I know we've beaten four teams in the top 30 or 35 in the country. We've beaten eight teams in the top 100," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "If there's teams better than that, so be it."

Boeheim bristled when asked whether the selection committee should consider that the Orange went 4-5 — and lost to lowly St. John's — while he was serving a nine-game suspension earlier this season. "I have read where some people think we should be punished by the basketball committee as well. I think we've had our punishment," he said.

Boeheim appears to have the support of committee chairman Joe Castiglione, who said on a conference call with reporters that his absence would be taken into consideration. "We look at coach availability and player availability roughly the same," Castiglione said. "... (but) again, all those games throughout the entire year — it will all be taken into consideration."

Other developments include:

ON THE RISE

• Washington. The Huskies (18-13) routed Stanford in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament. But after a late swoon, they almost certainly need to beat top-seeded Oregon.

• Colorado. Sticking in the Pac-12, the Buffaloes (22-10) likely locked up their spot in the NCAA dance merely by avoiding an upset by Washington State in the conference tournament Wednesday.

• Southern California. We see a trend here? Yet another Pac-12 team helped its hopes, this time with the Trojans (21-11) rolling over rival UCLA. If USC wasn't an NCAA lock before, it is now.

• Marquette. Henry Ellenson's big game helped the Golden Eagles (20-12) hold off St. John's in the Big East Tournament. But it may take a win over No. 2 seed Xavier to feel good about Marquette's chances.

FADING HOPES

• Florida State. The Seminoles (19-13) lost to fellow bubble team Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament's second round.

• Clemson. The Tigers (17-14) blew an 18-point lead and lost to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, a meltdown that mirrored their season.

• UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels (18-14) needed to make a big run in the Mountain West Tournament. Instead, they lost to Air Force in triple overtime.

• Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (19-12) lost to TCU, which won just twice in the Big 12 this season, in the opening round of the conference tournament.